[lace] Re state fair exhibit (was Handmade)
- Original Message - I am not willing to put hundreds of hours of work on display on a table where the public can touch (and in the worst case, pilfer?). I am not convinced that the jurors in state fairs know anything about bobbin lace ... -- I have to put in a good word on our state fair. All lace exhibits are in locked glass cabinets. There's no way for a viewer to touch or pilfer. Our fair also works very hard to get qualified judges in every category. Our local lace makers have no qualms about entering their items in our fair. In the case where someone has a most outstanding item, and it doesn't get the top award, it's usually because our fair has a rule that the same person can't win the top prize two years in a row. (We have a fabulous male tatter who usually wins every other year. The other years, he has to settle for a first ribbon.) On a direct lace note I have finished a lappet/scarf that has been in process for several years. The pattern came from the Prague OIDFA pattern booklet, and was worked in black thread. It think it turned out very well, and I look forward to showing it off. Alice in Oregon ... where we're supposed to have the warmest day of the year, so far, and I have some plants to get in the ground. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] Safely Displaying Lace and Embroidery
Dear Clay and Others Concerned about Public Lace Displays, Displaying lace in safe conditions is nearly impossible, if not undertaken by a museum with appropriate practices and insurance. I've been through this problem for the past 30 years, and would only associate with two museums (in New Jersey and in Maine) where I could be sure everything was either in glass cases and/or in a room that was locked in off-hours, and had docents in place when the space was open to the public. Sometimes I am asked to show antique Maine embroidery at the Maine State Museum during a weekend event. I stay with my exhibit all the time, and take it home each night. Even so, unattended children completely disregard the Please Do Not Touch signs. If they are that rude, so am I. I smile, then reach across and lift their hands up and away! The museum staff has never complained. There is lovely lace in Maine. If you should find yourself traveling this way, contact Tess or me to ask what can be privately arranged. We both participate in Arachne discussions often, so you have our addresses. Jeri Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center In a message dated 5/3/2011 6:23:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, clayblackw...@comcast.net writes: I, for one, have long since stopped putting my work in competitions. If it pleases me, that is enough. The eternal State Fair which occurs in the US in every state (I think?) in the union, has opportunities for exhibiting lace and competing for ribbons. I am not willing to put hundreds of hours of work on display on a table where the public can touch (and in the worst case, pilfer?). I am not convinced that the jurors in state fairs know anything about bobbin lace (although I know that for a number of years, our own Tamara Duvall donated her services for this). I'm always pleased when I hear that a lacemaker has taken a ribbon at a fair, but the risk isn't worth the prize for me. Sadly, I don't know of exhibits/competitions that rival the splendors of European exhibits which focus completely on lace and/or fine embroidery. I'd love to know about them if they exist!! Clay To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003 - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace]Antwerp lace
I am currently working an Antwerp lace pattern, and have taken a couple Binche classes. I can see the Binche style of thread movement in my edging. The motive shape is made by the switching of workers and passives. The modern version has some pins through the middle, but I can see how it might have been done with pins only on the edges, and thread tension or twists defining the design. I marvel that people centuries ago made this pattern without the detailed diagram I'm using. I would have been lost without my version of a voodoo board to keep my place. And four repeats later, I'm still depending on the voodoo board/diagram to guide my work. Since it's on my travel pillow, I don't work it very often. I was fortunate enough to see the Antwerp collection a couple years ago. If you are planning a trip through that area, try to be in Antwerp on a Wednesday so you can see the laces. Alice in Oregon - Original Message - I also have an eye for what I know as Antwerp lace which was a little earlier. It is not quite as complex and I love the patterns. These are the laces that are in the collections Karoluskantjes and Onder de Loep. == some of the Antwerp laces are at least as good (if not better) a grounding in the *mindset* necessary to do Binche. The biggest problem might be that there are fewer pins in the Antwerp laces, so a voodoo board/ghost pillow would be less useful in keeping track of where you are. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] Re: Re state fair exhibit (was Handmade)
Obviously, I don't have any experience with other state fairs, and it's very good to hear that some are really quite good with regard to display and competent judges! I shouldn't have painted all fairs with the same brush. But my reasons for not competing are as they are. Another very big reason I've never competed was that I never felt I had anything worth showing off until I started making Binche, and now I just don't want to risk losing it. Clay On 5/4/2011 1:34 PM, lacel...@frontier.com wrote: - Original Message - I am not willing to put hundreds of hours of work on display on a table where the public can touch (and in the worst case, pilfer?). I am not convinced that the jurors in state fairs know anything about bobbin lace ... -- I have to put in a good word on our state fair. All lace exhibits are in locked glass cabinets. There's no way for a viewer to touch or pilfer. Our fair also works very hard to get qualified judges in every category. Our local lace makers have no qualms about entering their items in our fair. In the case where someone has a most outstanding item, and it doesn't get the top award, it's usually because our fair has a rule that the same person can't win the top prize two years in a row. (We have a fabulous male tatter who usually wins every other year. The other years, he has to settle for a first ribbon.) On a direct lace note I have finished a lappet/scarf that has been in process for several years. The pattern came from the Prague OIDFA pattern booklet, and was worked in black thread. It think it turned out very well, and I look forward to showing it off. Alice in Oregon ... where we're supposed to have the warmest day of the year, so far, and I have some plants to get in the ground. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Hand made crochet - not.
Liz, The next time you have this conversation you can mention that if she were to enter a quilt that was made with a sewing machine into a show she would be expected to enter it in the machine made category. At least that is how it works for most quilt shows in the USA. Liz Redford Raleigh, NC, USA The Lace Bee thelace...@btinternet.com wrote: As one lady said to me 'it's hand made because I made it' to which I replied 'but you made it on a machine'. This was about knitting. I tried to explain that she wouldn't call something made with a sewing machine hand made but she said she would. Nowt so queer as folk. Kind Regards Liz Baker - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] Re: state fair exhibit
Hi! Although I am mostly a lurker on Arachne, I feel compelled to put in a plug for our state fair! The Rocky Mountain Lace Guild many years ago became frustrated with the lack of knowledgeable judges for the lace competition at the Colorado State Fair, and since then has been providing the judges for this event. Only the winning entries are displayed for the public, and they are in locked cases. To further decrease the risk of loss, a guild member (other than the judges) hand delivers and picks up entries each year. There is also a special ribbon with a handmade lace center awarded to one lucky (or rather, skilled) entrant each year. Oh, and I should also mention that the Colorado State Fair is one of the few in the country that allow entries from anywhere! We encourage everyone to consider entering - entry fees are low, and this helps us to convince the fair organizers that we really do need at least 10 categories of lace! There is more information about the lace competition on the guild website at www.rockymountainlaceguild.org The premium book with information about entering will be online after May 30 at www.coloradostatefair.com happy lacemaking! Trudy in Colorado - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Re state fair exhibit (was Handmade)
In the North Carolina state fair the lace is not exhibited in glass cases. It is simply placed on a table. The table is placed out of reach of fair visitors and is watched by a fair volunteer. However that does not prevent damage. I picked up a lace edged hankie for a friend who had won a ribbon. Someone had looped the string from the ribbon through one of the picots and badly distorted the lace. Since then I always turn in my entries in a frame so that no one can actually touch the lace. All that being said I always turn something in. I want people to know that the lace hobby is still alive and well in North Carolina. I don't want the fair to have so few entries that they decide they don't need a lace category anymore. Liz Redford Raleigh, NC, USA lacel...@frontier.com wrote: I have to put in a good word on our state fair. All lace exhibits are in locked glass cabinets. There's no way for a viewer to touch or pilfer. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] Fair Exhibit Lace Categories
From: Trudy Scholten scholt...@comcast.net To: lace@arachne.com Sent: Wed, May 4, 2011 5:35 pm Subject: [lace] Re: state fair exhibit snip ...this helps us to convince the fair organizers that we really do need at least 10 categories of lace! snip This is an area about which our fair organizers and lacemakers have had considerable discussion. We are not particularly happy with the categories established for our fair's lace entries, but have had a difficult time coming up with better ones. I would be very interested in hearing what other states (or counties) use for centry categories. Our primary groupings are large and small pieces and within each we have subgroups such as framed pieces, edgings, seasonal theme, etc. The large and small groupings seem particularly in appropriate since a small piece may be considerably more difficult or time consuming than a larger one. It would be nice to group by type of lace, but the problem becomes that we may not receive entries in more than 3 or 4 types. What do others do? Vicki in Maryland - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] Fair Exhibit Lace Categories
Hello Vicki and everyone One fair I attended had 4 categories for bobbin lace: the lacemaker's original design; adapted from an existing pattern; made from an existing pattern (purchased, from a book, etc.); a category relevant to the theme of the fair. It wasn't a large fair but they did permit entries from anywhere. Whether this will help you or not...I offer it in answer to your question, what do others do ;) On 5/4/11, Vicki Bradford twohappyb...@aol.com wrote: We are not particularly happy with the categories established for our fair's lace entries, but have had a difficult time coming up with better ones. ... What do others do? -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] State fair categories - Oregon
The Oregon state fair had a change of officials a few years back, and a representative came to our lace meeting. She asked us what categories and judging rules we wanted. We wrote them out right then... and the fair actually used them. They were very similar to my county fair. The state fair has separate Divisions for tatting, for bobbin lace, and Romanian lace. I don't remember where Needlelace fits in. This year's state fair listing is not yet on line, but here's my local county fair listing. Bobbin and Needle Lace Division Doily or mat, under 6 Doily or mat, 6-14 Large item, over 14 Bookmark Ornament Motif Garment accessory Edging under 1 1/2 (Note...may be attached to an item, or alone) Edging over 1 1/2 Handkerchief Fan or 3-D item Picture Scarf Jewelry Original design Any other Tatting Division Shuttle Tatting Small item, under 6 Large item, over 6 Edging, under 2 wide Edging, over 2 Bookmark Garment accessory Any other Needle Tatting Small item, under 6 Large item, over 6 Any other By the way, Oregon state fair is limited to Oregon residents, so I can't invite you all to enter. Sorry. Alice in Oregon - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] Re: State Fair Exhibit (was Handmade)
Our state fair has had glasses display cases for as long as I can remember, at least 30 years. They provide cash prizes and shops who supply for that particular medium, also up the ante with cash or store gift certificates (usually around $50, give or take). I only go rarely, just to see the needlework (and paintings in another building), and feel that the work is judged astutely - even more so, over the last decade or two. There is a separate section where they demonstrate how to do the various crafts but I don't remember anyone demonstrating bobbin or needle lace. It is a nice way to get people interested and especially children, (who tend to be very interested when I am doing any form of needlework in public). More should be done to expose people to the medium as so many people go through there, often having no idea how it is done. Here, the demo section is essentially cordoned off in a way that there is full view, yet encourages people to show respect in not touching. Best, Susan Reishus - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] Lace issue of Piecework
Yesterday I received my copy of Piecework - this being a special Lace issue I had been looking forward to it. I just browsed through it quickly as I'm busy proofreading a dissertation that has to be finished today. There are several interesting articles - one about Marian Anderson's Bobbin Lace Bed Coverlet. The Lace Museum looks after this special piece of history. Well back to work now, Pene in Tartu, Estonia where th e weather has turned cool again. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
